


The Love Judge

by bluepinephrine



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-31
Updated: 2013-07-30
Packaged: 2017-12-21 22:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluepinephrine/pseuds/bluepinephrine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Poseidon & Athena enter the throne room for the Spring council to find court is in session with Aphrodite, Zeus, and Chiron as judges to decide whether the accounts of all Percy's friends, allies, and even foes are right about Percabeth. Has flashbacks. INDEFINITE HIATUS</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: A Normal Day

It was a normal day, well for me and the so-called goddess of wisdom. We were arguing again over the relationship of my son and her favorite daughter's relationship on our way to the Spring Council of the gods. She kept on saying that my boy was unworthy of being even next to her super-intelligent little daughter, but in my opinion it's the other way. My Perseus was the hero of the prophecy and one of the Big Three's children. Compared to that random daughter of Athena he was practically royalty. He's a prince of the sea and the girl is just some smart-aleck brat of a certain illogical goddess. I didn't get what he saw in the girl but then again she was quite for pretty a child of Athena and really smart for anyone's standards. Wait a minute did I just compliment a person who is half of the idiotic goddess of wisdom? Well anyways here we were arguing:

"Your son is a horridly bad influence on her!" Miss Perfectionist said.

"In what way and ya know what I think?"

"You're thinking of just spraying me completely with salt water to end this argument that you will never win or looking at yourself in the mirror?" she sneered back with a smirk.

She loved to make comments about me thinking. It was as if she thought I was incapable of thinking and I'm not. I just have a weird notion to do stuff before I think. I don't like to be restrained just like the ocean. At times in battle I've been known to be a great fighter with the ocean in my power. Ha! I just proved you wrong Athena. Well in my head I did at least.

"No,"I replied, but that wasn't such a bad idea( I mean the part about splashing her, I'm not vain like some other people think. I just like annoying her with my vain comments. That always gets to her.), though I'd never tell her that, 'cause she'd probably go and clean up before we continue 'this continuous battle of wit and intellect' as she always said. By the time she'd be done fixing up her look, I'd be on the other side of the world sitting on my thrown either surfing or scanning the latest hotspot beaches.

"I think it's completely the opposite! Your daughter always gives my son indecision in his choices. She makes him do stupid things. Like because of your perfect daughter my boy ended up kissing her on that mountain. He didn't do anything. She was the one who made a move not him!"

"Are you mad? 'Stupid things' my butt. She's the reason he's gotten through all of those quests. Without her smarts he'd probably still be thinking about how to get past Cerberus. It's his stupidity that's rubbing off on my daughter. Like on that mountain. Her unreasonable actions were caused by his stupidity rubbing off on her because she has been hanging out with him."

I almost laughed out loud at way she said 'hanging out'. It was weird hearing the goddess of wisdom say modern almost slang-like must have seen a slight unintentional smile on my face so she continued her great rant.

"You think this a laughing matter?! Especially since I just said your son is pig-headed. Wow you're stupider than I thought!"

"Okay I'm going to really listen now to what your saying 'cause I apparently didn't hear that part, but if you answer my first question I might actually take interest in this argument."

"Apparently," she mimicked sneeringly. "I was about to but I was rudely interrupted by some Sea god. And if you had been listening you would have heard that I just did answer."

" 'Stupidity rubbing off'! I hate to admit but your a lot smarter than that so it's not good reason for your usual standards. It's a completely irrational reason!"

"Ugh!! Fine.," she answered, totally ignoring the only direct compliment I had given her in centuries. " Here's my very rational reason:He is your son so he's probably the same womanizing kind of guy you are. He looks exactly like you with the ugly jet black hair, idiotic sea green eyes, and weirdly rebellious face. With looks sometimes comes personality and I was proved right at last winter's council. When we talked he was just as slow-witted, stubborn, and arrogant as you. Obviously he has your way with girls too if he got the other Sea god qualities."

Today was going to be a long day with the other gods so I didn't want to start a full on fight with her. I just let the insults go like the cool calm sea god I was. Actually I'm kind of very proud( I mean all of us gods are, what can you do?) so I didn't really let it go. Okay I didn't let it go at all. I went defended myself like the stubborn immortal I was.

"Ugly! I've got the greatest hair ever out of all the gods well except Aphrodite, but she's the goddess of beauty, what can you expect? Oh and the eyes. They got voted sexiest eyes out of all the gods and immortal beings in Immortal Boggle magazine. You can't change how they look 'cause the magazine has spoken. And lastly the face. Who does not love the bad boy wild cool face? I mean every girl who's a girl loves the bad boy look. Even you like it too." Okay I was really pushing it. She was getting all red-faced and I don't mean gooey blush red-faced but angry blow-up red-faced.

"Bad boy!? Wild!? Cool!? Exactly! So-called bad boys like your son are the reason for 50% of Western Civilization's 15 year old mothers. He's exactly like you in every way. HE'S A WOMANIZING MAN-WHO-"

She stopped dead and I didn't get why. For a second I thought it was because of my horrid piercing glare I was giving for calling my Percy a womanizing man-whore( My Percy, yeah right. He's a good boy. Though rebellious at times, his heart was set in the right place and that was what made me proud of him. He was brave and loyal beyond belief and those were two qualities I revered the most.) but that didn't seem right because her grey eyes could give just as intimidating glares too.

I realized that we were at the doors to the throne room. One thing I noticed was that we hadn't been exactly watching where we were going. Throughout the whole argument we had stared/glared at each other(One of those polite things Athena always does when talking to others even if it is me and we're in an argument. I do it too so I don't give her anything else to hold against me.) Who knew how long we've been standing here in front of the doorway? Who knew how much the rest of the gods had heard? If a specific love goddess heard what we had been fighting about then we'd be in for one nerve-racking embarrassing council meeting in front of my big taunting brother Zeus. In her grey stormy eyes I could see she had come up with the same conclusion as me with Ares in her thoughts of being taunted instead. She nodded as if to approve for me to open the doors(Wait! Who gave her the what gave her the power to give me an approval!? I'm her uncle. I'm the older and wiser one. Not the other way around! Okay I'll talk to her about it later.) I pushed open the doors and widened eyes to the shock in front of me.


	2. Chapter 1: The Assembled

There in the throne room was all of the other ten gods and something you didn't see every day. Instead of the usual Greek marble pillars and walls surrounding the twelve thrones on the walls was pink wallpaper with roses, kisses made from real lipstick, heart-shaped candy boxes, hearts with arrows through them, and any other kind of romantic symbol you can think of. Unlike the usual U-shaped formation of thrones the chairs were in a line on the wall farthest from the door me and Athena had just entered. Behind them was some big blob thing that I couldn't see all the way from the doorway From left to right the order the Olympians minus me and Athena so far sat went like this:

First was Dionysus who was actually allowed to drink wine for whatever special occasion this was and he seemed very cheery about it. Next was Demeter who was talking to Hephaestus at her side. Following them was Ares who was playing around with a knife as long as a flute. He gave a taunting smile to Athena. By Ares was someone who looked like she was going to start singing giddily to one of her favorite love songs: Aphrodite. 

As it was the Spring Council, Hades in his great robes of souls looking unusually, even for him, gloomy about his presence at this affair was a surprise. The next god was none other than Lord Zeus who was grinning like he had just been given permission to rid himself of Hades and I. He gave me a taunting grin like Ares had given the goddess standing by me, but his was worse. To his right was a very patronizing Hera who was very irate about whatever was going on. She gave me a hmmpf! then looked away crossing her arms with the "queenliness" she always possessed. What was up with everyone? The chair next to her was mine which was unhappily followed by Athena's chair. 

The two succeeding thrones were Apollo and Artemis' and lastly Hermes chair. Apollo waved and smiled with a message that said 'I feel bad for you, but let's just make the best of things'. We had always been good friends. Artemis who wasn't very friendly with any of the male gods just nodded as if to approve me (Again with the approval. I need to teach these goddesses some respect for moi. She too was my niece!) Hermes was quite busy with his cell phone pushed against his ear and he appeared to be in an argument with a business partner. He held up his hand as if to say sorry for ignoring me but this was an important call. I didn't mind- he was a busy guy.

The weird thing about the set up was the centaur sitting or more like standing in the judge-like desk in front of the gods. This was of course Chiron who trained all the heroes including my son. What was he doing sitting there like he was almost more important than the other twelve Olympians? Chiron wasn't the most unusual thing about the situation though. 

Closer to the throne room doors were pews made of soft red satin that lined up up to the door and held hundreds of people as audience to whatever was happening. By people I mean all the half-bloods of Camp Half-blood, some evil monsters, who I think Percy and his friends killed (like the Minotaur, Medusa-hello beautiful!, the Furies-wooh! this was going to be interesting, Circe, Polymphemus-hey son!, and the three-headed weirdo, Geryon) and others who were in some way related to my son like actual mortals (I didn't even know they were allowed here. I'd have to invite Sally sometime for us to catch up, but this was probably for a whatever this special occasion was). I knew who most of them were, but there were two mortals, actually a few who I only knew because of watching Percy from Olympus. All the mortals were sitting in the first row and by mortals I mean 'in no way have half ichor in them or monsters'.

The first was a red-head who had freckles like she had been spray painted by cheeto-colored paint. I remembered she was the first mortal/immortal thing to feel the wrath of Percy from a mere water fountain. I had been so proud that day because he had finally learned how to use some of his power while not in the sea (From watching over him when he was younger I learned he had great power when Sally brought him to Montauk each summer). Served her right for trying to mess with my Perseus. One was a big teenage boy who looked like he was a son Ares. He was a boy I had twice the hate for. Maybe if he hadn't messed with Percy and implied that that brat of Athena's was his girlfriend me and Athena wouldn't have to worry about having grand-kids that looked like each other. Next to him was a sandy haired man with glasses who appeared very scientifical (I know it's not a word but it's the one that best describes him). Sitting by him was a pretty Asian lady and two boys. From the look of him I understood him to be the girl's mortal family. By him was a person I hadn't seen in a very long time and I almost felt like running to her and grabbing her into my arms, kissing her warmly. Almost. Aphrodite must have had some influence on me and so was the exotically painted room.

Sally was beautiful as ever. Her eyes stared at me and Athena (although I'd much rather think she was staring at me alone) and they were filled with burning curiosity and questions, just the way I liked and remembered them. For this little get-together she was wearing a sea green dress with a sleeveless boat neck shape at her collar bone. The dress fell to the floor like a water fall (Weird how everything I'm describing her with has something to do with water. I mean 'sea green dress' 'waterfall' and 'flowed'. I've got to stop watching those ocean documentaries). Her brown silky hair flowed smoothly down her neck and shoulders. She looked ravishing. 

I must have spaced out looking at her because Athena motioned for me to follow and she glared at me to go to my throne and we started walking down the aisle. I realized she had told me that we should sit down and it hadn't registered into my mind. I also realized Sally had been trying to catch my eye. Apparently I was paying too much attention to how she looked that I didn't see hers doing that. The look on Sally's face told me she knew I was checking her out and she was all of a sudden blushing deeply. Okay enough about the mushy lovey gooey stuff. I'm getting kind of lovey-dovey for me, but then again it was Sally and she was and definitely still is a one of a kind beauty.

Yes she was one of kind. I was getting closer to her by the second when I saw him. He was a pretty tall guy with a brown leather jacket over a gray (Ughh! Like Athena's hideous eyes) shirt and blue jeans. His hair was black and white actually more like salt and pepper. He looked about in his late thirties. Also he was sitting right next to Sally and when he saw me he slowly wrapped his hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him as if she might slip away. I was two benches away when I saw the guy. As soon as I did I knew my expression had changed from charming happiness at seeing Sally to horrid jealousy at seeing him hold her so close. Sally knew me too well so that when she saw my face she knew there d be possible trouble. My eyes were burning and I it almost felt like they were glowing. I wanted to hit the guy or push him away so that he'd stop holding onto my Sally. With the changing of my expression so did Sally's. She had a tearful look in her face and I knew her just as well as she knew me. If I did anything right now she'd break down into tears and I did not want add to the scene Athena and I had made with her yelling of my son being A WOMANIZING MAN-WHO- well you already know what happened. So I continued on to the thrones, but stopped dead along with Athena at what was behind the twelve seats.

Mortals and evil monsters on Mount Olympus was one thing but the it wasn't the weirdest thing in this very room at the moment. Standing in front of the twelve Olympians excluding us I finally saw what the red blob thing was and I was NOT happy. It was big red heart with glowing lights and trust me the glowing bulbs were extremely tacky. Using the bulbs, words were formed in big fancy script letters:

The Love Council: The Percabeth Case  
With Hermes as defendant,  
Dionysus as prosecutor(he got the hard job),  
And judges Zeus, Aphrodite, and Chiron.

PERCABETH! What the H-E double hockey sticks was going on?! Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those uninformed parents who don't know anything about the internet and what LOL or TTYL means. I'm really one of the coolest parents ever (well aside form not being able to help my kid on a daily basis in any way). I knew what the joining and mixing of two people's names meant on the web. 

Not only did Hephaestus make specific television programs for immortals, he also worked with Hermes on a special half-blood/immortal browser named GoldenNet which has all different types of websites for anyone who knows and/or is related to an immortal being. The different websites included normal ones like news websites, but the news sites gave demi-god and immortal news too. One time they had my boy as front page material when he became the second Perseus to kill Medusa. I was so proud of him. He wasn't done being a star yet. When my boy, my other bigger cyclops son, and that imbecile daughter of Athena got the Golden Fleece they became front page material again. And it went on and on with their rescue of Artemis and journey into the every website had some demi-god/immortal feature extra to it that mortals couldn't and shouldn't see.

There was one specific website that caught both half-blood and immortal eyes after a great hiatus to it's popularity. It was called A Hero's Quest. This website was dedicated to gossiping and chatting and talking about quests that happened to half-bloods in real life. Because no children of the Big Three were born no quests really happened. When there are no children of the Big Three for some weird reason there's hardly any action that goes on. I wonder why? Guess it's 'cause we three, especially me, are just so special that without our children everyone has a boring, but safe time. Just kidding, because I'm in no way that arrogant. Just a little charmingly annoyingly arrogant like most immortals are. Besides the traitor Luke's quest that ended in failure nothing happened. It seemed with his failure there was no reason to go questing.

When my Perseus was found and brought to Camp Half-blood he had his first quest and the website began to buzz with chat about the quest referred as The Lightning Thief Quest. It was first called that by a seer magician named Rik Ryeordan (Yes he's got quite a name). He was one of the first bloggers on the website after it's 50 year hiatus. He as a seer and scribe started to write about the journeys Percy had. Each of his scrolls were titled something unique like 'The Sea of Monsters' or 'The Titan's Curse'. Because he was seer he could see the past, present, and future. Through visions and the use of magic he was able to piece together all the events of Perseus' quests. 

The scrolls he wrote were also put on the quest website to get interest in quests again. It worked and the writings became best-selling internet stories. Now any immortal or half-blood being can read all about the exciting quests my boy went on. Soon monsters and half-bloods along with other immortal beings were blogging and chatting in forums about the prophecy read long ago. They all believed Percy to be the one of the prophecy though I hoped not for it would have brought him grave danger and nothing but pain and tragedy.

Things went well for the website and Hermes and Hephaestus started putting polls about questions like 'Do you think Percy Jackson was an idiot to not kill Polyphemus?' I thought it was an really unreasonable question. He had completed the quest regardless of whether or not he had killed my other son, but Athena thought differently. She taunted me to no end saying he was too loyal for his own sake. By then she had figured out his fatal flaw was personal loyalty and it made me very unsettled. Personal loyalty was one of the worst fatal flaws to have in hero with a great quest for reasons Athena explained to me arrogantly. They would give up the world for one who meant great personal value to them. I just hoped Percy if he was truly the prophecy child would make the right choice when the time came.

Well the questions started to delve deeper than just about the quest. There was different romantic couples added to the website. There were ones like Thuke, Thalia and Luke (That traitor), Annabeth/Luke (It would sure solve my problem right now), Grover/Juniper, Nico/Thalia, Perachel, Percy and Rachel, (That is the greatest couple in my opinion. I mean I fell in love with a beautiful smart mortal who could see through the mist so why couldn't my son? Any way it was better than a certain daughter of Athena!). 

Then there was another one that was the most popular. I tried to get it off the web, but Hermes who had helped create the websites (That guy is very inventive, but that's another story) wouldn't let me. I almost trashed all his messenger flying shoes, leaving him to deliver most of his messenges by foot (Usually a god can poof from place to place, but in Olympus, though it is quite a huge utopia, the rules of the gods don't allow you to do so in the god's home), but then he told me Aphrodite was involved. If this was the case then I would not be able to stop it. Aphrodite might seem like the softy of the year, but when you mess with her love then there is absolutely no stopping her. She will find some way of making you pay in a very very horrible way that will cause you great pain. For the goddess of love she sure can be very hateful of stoppers of the power of love.  
The moment I walked up to Aphrodite's thrown, she had a hiss fit and said in a low evil (yet surprisingly sexy) voice, "If you mess up their perfect relationship, I will personally make sure that you fall in love with Athena herself." Now you're thinking me, the god of the Sea, is afraid of Ms. Perfect Manicure, but do not ever underestimate the power of love. Though her love powers can't make another god in love permanently, it can still put them in a stage of love for up to a week. It would have been a horribly bad week if I had stopped 'the relationship' from going further. My pride would be ruined once the gods, especially my brother Zeus, found out I had fallen in love with my worst enemy. It would have been horrible to see how lovey-dovey I'd have been with Athena. I wouldn't be myself. Usually with the ladies I'm calm collected and completely charmingly funny, but the love magic she'd use on me would have made me fully lovestruck. I'm glad I never even thought of crossing Aphrodite again after that incident.

I'm rambling on again, but you mortals do need to learn about the reason for me not stopping the worst relationship in the history of relationships. Here it is, the last and most popular relationship pairing on the web: Percabeth! Yes the relationship that got people comment, "It's so cliche yet so charming!" or "They are sooo cute when they argue!" or "It was meant to be from the start!" and so on. I considered this a humorous and completely a rumor. It was a just a hoax trying to get me to think that my son would ever love a daughther of Athena.

Aphrodite was probably playing tricks on me, I thought.

Then one Saturday, I sat in my throne in my Atlantis palace deep in the Pacific. It was the year of the quest of the Sea of Monsters. I was planning to write a comforting letter to Percy regarding Tyson and how I knew it seemed like I had just dumped him on Percy. It was like BOOM, no warning, you have a half monster brother. I didn't mean to have another kid, but hey that nature spirit was way too beautiful and smart to not be with me. On the letter, it began:

Dear Perseus...

I didn't have a clue what to write. Don't get us wrong, but we gods do truly care for our children. We have so many duties that it is hard to get to know all our children. I had told Percy that he was my favorite son, rightfully so, after the Battle of the Labyrinth, but that was the most personal thing I've ever said to him. Nothing more. Back then in the year of the Sea of Monsters, I had only met him a year ago for the first time since his birth. It was true that I had watched him from my palace, but it was nothing like being a true father to him and staying with him and Sally. That was one of the things I and many gods regretted about having children. They couldn't know all of them. As a god you couldn't live with the many kids you have. Sometimes you didn't even know if one of your kids was yours. They just lived their lives and never knew their parentage and neither did their parent. I hadn't gotten to know Percy that well and personal so I couldn't think of what to write.

Would he be angrier at me for writing? Should I write to Sally alone or would that just make things worse, talking to her behind his back? And how did Sally take the news? Was she disappointed? Or angry? Funny how a man with centuries of wisdom was still a "doof" about how woman and teenagers are. I had met so many people and gotten so many reactions that it was hard to predict people's reactions at times. Another one of the sad ordeals of living forever was so many people met that you sometimes forgot them. Sometimes you wonder if its worth it to see all those you love die over again. It's inevitable in the end. I was stuck and in thought when one of my merman and one of my dolphin servants, Amris and Lafrey, came in. 

Usually Amris would have came alone as a cupbarer and servant, but a bad typhon, caused by my previous clash with Zeus over his master lightning bolt, had caught him and his tailbone (literally, the one at the base of his fin up to his hip) had been fractured. One of my most trusted dolphin servants had been chosen to help Amris travel from place to place. Now here they both were. Amris bowed and was followed by more of a forward half flip from Lafrey. He didn't dare raise his head knowing I would react poorly to the news to be soon given. Me not knowing yet, said, "Lift your head Amris. You are one of my most trusted servants. With me you deserve the decency at all times to talk looking at my eyes. Only lowly traitorous slaves receive my full dominance and wrath. You've done nothing to betray my trust in any way. Stand with pride at your service to me and tell me the news you have received."

Amris shuffled his fins, shivering from one fin to the other. He still hid his face and eyes behind the veil of dirty blonde hair. I didn't prod him any further at his unwillingness to look me in the eyes, but wondered in deep thought why Amris was acting so aloof. He was usually very confident and determined. Not only was his most loyal advisor, he was a great general in war. I even considered him one of my few friends in the kingdom. This wasn't the same man who had the backbone to lead my warriors into battle. This was a wimpy shrimp who acted liked a slave to me. I didn't get what was going on at all. Lafrey was also acting weird. No longer was he that happy-go-lucky playful dolphin. He would normally stay and join in the conversation, but at that moment he was gone, hiding from the storm that was soon to be.

Amris, stuttered (but there was also a hint of humor in his voice, curious), "Lord Poseidon, Lafrey and I bring no news about the quest for the Sea of Monsters or the fate of your sons, our Princes of the Sea, Lord Perseus and Lord Tyson. We have come to inform you of a quite informal message."

I raised my eyebrow. The situation seemed to have gone quite down on the level of seriousness. Trying to write a letter to Percy was already brain-rambling task that had gotten me into a solemn reticent mood, but this was getting to me completely. My most trusted adviser had journeyed all the way from his makeshift headquarters in the Bermuda Triangle to talk about gossip going around?! Informal message always meant it was gossip or rumors to be reiterated. I wasn't much of a god to gossip. That was more Apollo or Aphrodite's thing. I then recapitulated the question in my head, "You swam all the way from your temporary headquarters, about 5,000 leagues away from here, to tell me about gossip that probably some deranged old fish started?" I spoke with venom more so related to my worry over Percy and Tyson than in anger.

Again there was a snicker evident from his words that didn't help at all. I did not understand why Amris was testing my patience so much. "It is not plain gossip or rumor. It is much more important, about our Prince of the Sea, Perseus."

"So it is about the quest, why didn't you say so?" I replied impatiently with exasperation.

"Well it does prove that the Prince Perseus is alive... and snogging a daughter of Athena," He said the last part with smugness and mirth, but so quietly that I barely heard it. Barely, but I did.

"What did you say?" My voice rose high with conviction and accusations in mind.

"Well that fish reporter-what's his name? Smeckie, Smeckles, oh! Speckles (A/N: This credit goes out to littlegreenweirdo123. Thanks for letting me use your cool and totally original character. If you haven't read his story called Speckles, you should. It has a new and completely genuine story plot.), he never lies, says he saw your son and that daughter of Athena-what's her name? Annabeth!- embracing in a huge bubble. I must say Lord Poseidon your son is definitely your son. What a romantic, a date under the sea." Amris didn't know me as well he thought. To use humor in a situation where my son was in love and in a relationship with a daughter of Athena was in no way a good thing. I couldn't think right (if Athena heard me say that I'd never hear the end of it). My head was practically swelling with the news of this new couple.

Was it true? In love with a daughter of ATHENA?! Evil maniacal genius must have put a love spell on him! I'll kill Athena! I'll kill that girl! No son of mine is in love with a child of Athena! Does Sally know? Why didn't she tell me!? And why didn't Percy say something?! Wow, forbidden love! An imbecile daughter of Athena! The last thought rang out through my mind, like an echoe.  
How I managed to keep all those thoughts hidden from my eyes is still a mystery to me. I calmly was about to say, "What? Please repeat your message" (hoping it wasn't true), but was interrupted by Amris saying, humor again strung in his words, "This hasn't happened in a the past century or history of heroes." He had finally lifted his head showing that while he had been stuttering and shivering, a true laughing smile was on his face that whole time. It turned into a panicked expression when he probably saw my angered expression.

"Sire," he said. "Are you all right? It was a mere hug meant to be an expression of their friendship. It was a hoax, a joke. Young love barely lasts. Sire? Sire?!"

I wasn't listening as well as I should have. Young love? No this wasn't. Young love was at ages below eleven at ten, but this...this was-what?! I didn't want to answer that question, because I was afraid of the answer. When Aphrodite put two half-bloods in a situation like that at this age, it usually meant something. It usually meant she had something planned for those two half-bloods. I never understood why Aphrodite was so excited about the Thrill Ride of Love video on Hephaestus, but now I got it. Two half-bloods suddenly getting that much attention from the love goddess meant one thing: true lo- I couldn't say it. Not now or then. Never about one of my children and a daughter of Athena. All could do was stroll out of the room. I wouldn't vent my anger at my adviser. He wasn't to be blamed. I didn't want to be causing anymore troubles than what this news had already caused him. All I knew was a specific love goddess was going to get a piece of my mind.

"Sire!" was the last thing I heard before the throne room doors closed with a thump! and I snapped my fingers sending me to Olympus and a very "innocent" goddess.

So that was how I found out about Percabeth. That was where all the heightened arguments between me and Athena began. We began arguing more and more often about the situation until this very day came.

What does this have to do with the tacky heart glowing light bulb ornament? Well, I'm getting to that. Every year, under Aphrodite's orders, a couple out of the internet pairings(back then, scroll pairings) were to be picked so a few of the carefully picked immortals could decided whether or not the couple are truly lovers and will prosper in their love or their love will be tragic. It was time for the love of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase to be judged. If love won out on this case, then my Percy would have an official love relationship with the daughter of Athena.

That was why I did what I did when I saw the devious heart and lit up tacky title. As soon as I saw the icky heart and smug grins coming from my two brothers, my heart was speeding up and I was going to blow. Aphrodite couldn't do this to me! Rotten, spoiled... I panicked and soon the whole place was trembling slightly. The Grecian columns might have even crushed the assembly if I had stopped myself in time. It was a very little tremor so hardly anyone noticed it except me and Athena. I stopped because if my brothers knew I had gotten that angry at them then I would lose all my dignity and pride to them. Instead of releasing my anger in an action, I did it with words. "WHAT THE HE-" I remembered the two stepsons of Athena's last lover. They were only ten and didn't need to hear such words. The scared looks on their faces also made calm swath over me like a wave of ice chill. My voice volume changed as well. "What is going on HERE?!"

I must have had an earth-shattering look in my eyes for the whole gathering looked a bit smaller and frightened than before. Even Zeus flinched a little. Athena next to me had a tiny glint of surprise in her eyes, but she hid it in a steely glare obvious saying as much as my hidden outburst had.

There was only one person who didn't seem at all letting go of her demeanor. In a sweet innocent voice she said, "Why Posey," I gave her maximum glare and she corrected, "-Poseidon, court is in session and the Love Council Moi, Zeus, and Chiiron," she emphasized the "i", "are about to decide whether your cute son and Athena's tragedy-lover daughter are meant to be!"


	3. Chapter 3: Offense & Defense

"Aphrodite! Not surprised. This has you all written over it." I WASN'T happy. The way she was giving me that devious smile, that every god feared on her, was intoxicating me with dread. In other situation I would have been kind of attracted to her, but this was different.

"Well you heard me. Today your cute little son Perseus Poseidon Jackson will be tested along with your beautiful-yet stupid-daughter Athena." Boy was that a bad thing to do. You never-I repeat, NEVER- call Athena or her relatives stupid. By now all of the Athena siblings were standing up from the sixth row. They were glaring, and I mean maximum glare power. Least of all was Athena. Even angrier than before, her fists were clenched and her eyes red, pounding with her blood. I actually thought Aphrodite was pretty brave then, but my glare too returned. I was still angry.

"Silly kiddies of Athena." She a blew a number of kisses to the kids and the boys all fainted with happy "loving" looks in their eyes. Their sisters were all trying to wake them. Terrified many of them sat down while the other cabins next to them scouted a little a ways. Athena motioned at the other brave ones to sit. She was going to handle this, and when Athena handles things, they get handled.

"Aphrodite," her voice was stacato to annunciate every word that inched its way out of her mouth, "We will not be having this ceremony-event, whatever it is I can call it without losing my dignity to your 'lovey-doveyness' because our children are in NO way in love. Whoever has made you crazed and demented to think that is so should answer to me, because then they will be crushed into a centimeter of their life." Wow. That was-wow. Silence is the only word that could describe what happened next. I told you, when Athena wants something done, she gets it done.

Aphrodite again bravely broke the reverie, "Ah! That is where you are wrong. And this is why we are here today: to decide on whether the rumors and this whole shanannigan are true! Justice-no, love- will suffice! Stand down so that we shall see what is true." Her voice sang out like she was reciting a sonnet. She was back to her more lovey-dovey personality, the one, surprisingly, that I whole-hearted liked way more than that devious get-you-together-NO-matter-what look.

"Fine," Athena said-wait, what! There was gasp, from whom, I'm unsure. Could have been from me, Aphrodite, or any of the gods, even the whole of the assembled in this love audience. It was like a wave of ghosts chattering....well, ghostly. Whoever or whatever did it, was stopped instantly with a snap of Athena's fingers. The dread silence again. "You all heard me. Today is the day me and my Uncle Poseidon shall settle this. If this jury gives favor for Percabeth, then me and Poseidon both agree to not interfere-too much-in this relationship whether it survives or not. That is, if you agree to this proposition Lord Poseidon, swear on the River Styx?"

I noticed how she had used Lord instead of the formal, yet not as formal, Uncle she usually did. She really wanted to go through with this and weird thing was I did too. We needed to end this disagreement and not have another World War, especially about love. Wasn't the Trojan War enough? So I agreed....with Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Well you learn something every day. "I agree to your proposal on the River Styx." We shook hands. Whoa! I just agreed with Athena! I'm still fazed from it and I think I will be forever, at least some part of me will be.

"Then-it's settled?!" My gorgeous niece's perfectly elegant eyebrows raised, to question herself. "I thought....I thought it would take days-weeks-before you two idiots let me go on with this," she was practically stuttering, but there was glee, childish and shrill glee that is, "Now we can get on with it!!!" I'd never seen the love goddess sooo happy. Was my son's relationship with this Annabeth-imbecile- really that great?! Maybe I should just let him date her-No way!! I think, Aphrodite's happiness was spreading out the love throughout the room. Did Dionysus look tipsier than usual?

"On one condition."

"I beg your pardon!"/ "What!!" Aphrodite and I yelled simultaneously. "You never told us this before we shook on it," I continued.

"Well don't think that I wouldn't have something up my sleeve. I demand that I choose who shall stand for the defense. I will not have a drunkard defending me and my daughter's pride!" Athena could be very proud, and I mean very proud at times. Then again, so could I.

"Hey!" I guess the wine god had awaken from the uncontrollable spell that the love goddess had accidentally created with her joy.

"Okay then! Choose." With her hand pushing her hair behind her ear, Aphrodite was instantly back to her almost evil mischievous self.

"Alright, I choose Artemis!"

Way to go! That was Athena being the manipulative smart person she was. Of course she would choose someone with biased views toward men. This would be brilliant! No way would Percabeth win.

Artemis stepped down from her chair in her usual twelve year old auburn-haired self. As she did, the silver robes she usually wore turned into more of old-style greek hunting clothing. She was game for it too. She wanted to win this case and I soon found out why.

"Annabeth Chase has the true spirit of Hunter. She would be great addition and her intelligence is of great value. I would not have her fall for some hero when her skills would be of better use elsewhere."

"You go sis-usually! I totally disagree and that's why I nominate myself as the guy who is in defense for Percabeth!" It was Apollo in all his sunny surfer glory. He too had stood to meet at the judges' table in front. Both siblings now faced each other, Artemis glaring distastefully at her brother whilst he just smirked like the half-buffoon he could be many times a day.

This was going perfectly. Apollo wasn't the brightest guy in light bulb box and there was practically no way he'd win this argument against his sister. I just had to intervene before Aphrodite got any ideas. "That's a PERFECT idea," by then everyone was staring at me like I was some sort of wacko-everyone knew the move I was making, "I mean Apollo makes.....interesting haikus. That's like poetry and poetry...has to do with love so I guess he can run it." To back it up I gave a glare to Aphrodite that would have made any mortal-I'm sure- runaway before they pissed in their pants. It was much worse than the other glares I had given the last previous minutes.

"Huhh... It's settled. Apollo will defend Percabeth," Aphrodite huffed obviously knowing from the visual of my glaring eyes, I would not have anything else but that. With a snap of her perfectly manicured hands four chairs appeared in front of the assembly. Three were to the right where the defense against Percabeth was to be stationed. That place was where me, Athena, and Artemis sat. Opposite to the left was the offense for Percabeth where Apollo sat down still smirking.

I sat down on the pink heart-shaped chairs with detest. This really wasn't my style and did I just see Zeus pull out a camera? I would never get over this if that was how the Master of Lightning was going to play it.

"All rise for the honorable judges Zeus, Aphrodite, & Chiron!" Hermes declared from his chair, his cell phone now put away in his pocket but still vibrating constantly.

Court was now in session.


End file.
